Algeria, Indonesia sign mining deals worth US$4.5bn

Two Algerian firms and an Indonesian industrial group have signed three accords to invest US$4.5bn in phosphate mining, a statement by the Algerian Ministry of Industry and Mines said

These agreements on joint-ventures were signed by the Algerian public companies Asmidal and Manal and Indonesia’s Indorama Corporation. The signing ceremony was attended by Algerian minister of industry and mines Abdessalem Bouchouareb and Indonesian ambassador to Algiers Safira Machrusah.

The three Algerian-Indonesian joint projects under the contractare the development and the exploitation of the new phosphate mine of Bled EL Hadba (Tebessa), the transformation of phosphate for the production of phosphoric acid and diammonium phosphate in Souk Ahras and the transformation of natural gas for the production of ammonia, technical-grade ammonium nitrate and calcium ammonium nitrate in the city of Skikda.

“The strategic aim of this partnership is to transform five million tonnes of phosphates into phosphate-based fertilisers and to produce one million tonnes of ammonium and 800,000 tonnes of calcium ammonium nitrate,” mining minister Abdesselam Bouchouareb said in a statement.

He added that Algeria aims to become the third largest phosphate producer in Africa, after Morocco and Tunisia.

The output from these industrial platforms will cater to the fertiliser needs of the agricultural sector and will also allow exporting surplus.